The Timelessness Of Aging

PERHAPS THE MOST SHOCKING of all life's wake-up calls is an early morning look in the mirror. We ask, "Where did those wrinkles and that silver hair come from?" What we often forget is that nothing is more gorgeous than a person's unseen beauty, the kind that may take nearly a lifetime to cultivate.

Though the body may be getting a little loose on the bone, the heart can be like a mountain growing less distant each day. The energy of the body gradually withdraws into the heart. For this reason, spiritual work in the later years can often be the most productive of our life. The spirit is more accessible than perhaps at any other time.

As the years go by, our life's lessons become more challenging and intense, but they serve to deepen our compassion and understanding. As a result, elders can provide greater insight into and clearer perspective on the human condition.

When we reach our golden years, most of us realize that those things which once seemed so important really aren't at all. We attain a measure of wisdom. Of course, not everyone learns this valuable lesson, but in the end, it doesn't matter. We have no choice but to relinquish our hold and release all that we have received - youth, health, wealth, loved ones. Whether we do it willingly or fight against the inevitable with all our might, the things of this world will fade away. We can choose, though, the manner in which we surrender by shifting our focus from the temporal to the eternal.

I am reminded of an incident that occurred in one of the last lectures of philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. A few years ago when he was old and rather frail, he addressed a large assembly. He spoke with his accustomed softness and care for a few minutes before calling on a fellow who had raised his hand with a question. Krishnamurti answered slowly, then stopped and began again, then stopped again. He said his aging had caused him to not always be so sharp and would the fellow just come down and hold his hand.

What a precious moment that must have been! Sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. It was a teaching for us all that someday all that might be left of us is our love.

Tigers Above, Tigers Below

THE FRIGHTENED MAN was running away from tigers. He ran and ran, and the tigers were getting closer and closer. When he came to the edge of a cliff, he saw some vines there, so he climbed down and held on to the vines. Looking down, he saw that there were tigers below him as well. He then noticed that a mouse was gnawing away at the vine to which he was clinging. He also saw a beautiful little bunch of strawberries close to him, growing out of a clump of grass. He looked up and he looked down. He looked at the mouse. Then he took a strawberry, put it in his mouth, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tigers above. Tigers below. This is actually the predicament that we are always in, in terms of birth and death. Each moment is just what it is. It might be the only moment of our life, it might be the only strawberry we will ever eat. We could get depressed about it, or we could finally appreciate it and delight in the preciousness of every single moment of our life.

When we face the tigers and open our heart to things as they are, we come to rest in the present moment. Only in this moment can we taste the strawberries and discover that which is timeless. Then we hold our own joy and suffering as inseparable. We honor the sacredness in both emptiness and form. We see it all as the dance of our spirit, we hold it all with ease and humor, and we are at peace with it all.

The ocean of life rises and falls within us - birth and death, joy and pain, it is all ours and our heart is full and empty, large enough to embrace it all. When we have faced death and aloneness, we are unafraid to live, and life flowers under our feet.

© 2001-08, Tom Brown

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles "Tom" Brown was a successful investor who did very well in real estate, oil, and the stock market. Friends began asking him to invest for them, too. And he did. Things went well, and more people heard about his abilities and wanted to be included in the investment strategies he had devised. All went well until there was a dramatic change in the market. All that went up turned down, and Tom wanted everyone to still have a profit - his big mistake - as he wanted to be well thought of. Tom was accused of defrauding investors. Although it was shown that he had never diverted any money for himself other than a modest commission, through unbelievable mishandling by an incompetent or dishonest attorney, what should have been a one-year sentence became a 17-year sentence. At the time of judgment, Tom was 62 years of age.

The purpose of Tom's blog is not to dwell on the injustice, but rather, to show the incredible unfoldment of consciousness in a man who has taken this sentence and created a workshop of Soul and Spirit out of it. His words are designed to help us see into life and do better with what we've been given. Tom's Beyond the Wall blog is located at www.Beyondthewall.blogs.com.  If you would like to write to Tom, he appreciates correspondence.  He does not have access to a computer but can be reached via Charles "Tom" Brown, # 140237, ASPC - Lewis, Barchey Blue - D2 - E5, P.O.Box 3200, Buckeye, AZ, 85326.